While the USC Trojans were able to flip QB Jonas Williams from the Oregon Ducks, they are still hot on the recruiting trail for another coveted 2026 quarterback: Ryder Lyons.
Lyons has been heavily favored to commit to USC for quite some time, but he has yet to commit or shut down his recruitment.
The 4th-ranked QB, according to On3 Industry Rankings, took a rather surprising visit yesterday. While a longshot to land him, the Folsom product visited local Sacramento State on Friday.
USC Trojans Recruit Ryder Lyons Visits Sacramento State
The Hornets, who are members of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), just hired former UNLV offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion as their head coach. He brings with him the Go-Go offense that is explosive and a very seamless system for most Quarterbacks. Current USC Trojans QB Jayden Maiava played in this offense in his freshman season at UNLV, and he won Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Sacramento State also just approved plans for a brand new football stadium in an effort to move up divisions to the FBS and join either the Mountain West or PAC 12 Conference.
Also Read: Prized Oregon Ducks Commit Sets Official Visit With USC Trojans
As I said, it is more than a long shot for Lyons to ultimately end up at Sac State, but clearly, there is at least a little interest to stay closer to home, and Marion is a fantastic coach who has done a lot with quarterbacks.
The USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks are the current frontrunners, with Michigan also making a late push. BYU also has an outside shot.
While Lyons is a member of the 2026 class, he will not be enrolling in a school until 2027, as he is taking his LDS mission for a year after high school.
Lyons is the perfect fit for Lincoln Riley’s offense. He is a quick processor, has a cannon of an arm, and is extremely mobile. Last season, he was the Gatorade Player of the Year and finished with 2,874 yards and 44 touchdowns and rushed for 556 yards with 12 more touchdowns on the ground.
His brother, Walker Lyons, is a tight end at USC.